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We are a new kind of consulting partner designed for a world where constant change, complexity, and uncertainty are the new normal.

August helps organizations unlock their potential to sense and respond to change.

Why We Exist

The way most organizations operate today gets in the way of good teamwork, instead of supporting it.

All around us are missions with the potential to change our world for the better. Some are incremental and are struggling to survive the next status meeting. Some are massive and require the coordinated resources of global institutions. Some will fix our biggest problems. Some will invent our future.

Each of these missions needs an organization that is capable of learning and adapting fast enough to get it done.

August helps organizations meet this challenge.

How We Help

August specializes in working with large, complex organizations. We understand that lasting change requires changing individuals, teams, and the systems that shape how they interact.

Our Experience

We have been fortunate to partner some of the world’s largest and most influential corporations, non-profit organizations, and government agencies. We integrate a wide range of theory and our clients’ own expertise to design transformative programs and implement these programs at a global scale.

Working in close partnership with our clients, we go beyond the latest trends to tailor solutions to the needs and culture of their organization. This approach ensures that we intimately understand kind of changes will stick, and ultimately make a lasting impact.

Theory Of Change

The world we live and work in is changing so fast that it has become impossible to predict, or even to effectively plan for. Yet, most companies that are shaping our future – for better or worse – are using an outdated way of working that revolves around planning and predictability.

This old way of working is still useful in a few limited contexts where the tasks are most routine and require the least amount of collaboration. But, more and more, the challenges we face are incredibly complex and require close collaboration among teams with diverse skill sets and perspectives.

The hierarchical, command-and-control model that enabled companies to thrive in the 20th century is now the Achilles heel of companies that want to succeed in the 21st century.

Over the past 10-20 years, leading organizations have begun to adopt a new way of working, founded on a new set of guiding principles.

A New Way of Working

These are the fundamental operating principles that guide our own work, and provide the basis for how we begin to help our clients.

Be Purpose-Driven

Focus on the impact you’re trying to achieve together, and use that clarity of purpose to shape and guide your work.

Design For Networks

Enable people to contribute, regardless of who they are – across functions, divisions, levels of seniority, and even beyond the formal boundaries of the organization.

Distribute Authority

Everyone has the authority to do what they think needs to be done, as long as they've sought the advice (not permission) of the colleagues who are affected.

Learn by Doing

Adopt a make → test → learn → iterate approach to all work, combined with a steady rhythm of testing and reflecting on a weekly basis.

Default to Open

Make information easily accessible and open by default.

Sustainable, Collaborative Change

Our work has shown us that there is no single, one-size-fits-all system that can address the needs of every organization. Each organization, and every team within those organizations, has its own culture, set of common values, and unique business challenges and realities.

This is why we apply the core principles of human-centered design to change management. Any successful change must be designed with and for the people who want to change.

Empowered Teams

Our work deliberately breaks down the traditional command-and-control dynamic within our clients’ organizations. It is critical to our work that our senior-most sponsors support and model this change, and empower their teams to work with greater speed and autonomy.

Embedded Partners

Changing how people work together requires a high degree of empathy and agility. Over time, our approach has led us to eradicate the boundaries of typical consulting relationships. We work side-by-side with our clients, leading change and building capacity through coaching and daily practice.

Iterative Change

There is no standard, one-size-fits-all model that works for all teams. Each culture presents its own levers for change, as well as its own antibodies. We sprint to define the best opportunities to seed our change effort, engage all employees in a participatory process to ‘edit’ their organization, and scale what works.

Speak with our Client Partnerships Lead

August is a Certified B Corporation®. This means that beyond the impact we aim to make for our clients, we also work to make a positive impact for our employees, suppliers, community, and the environments. Read our B CorpTM assessment.